Wouldn’t it be great if research funding was primarily based on a balanced relationship with our planet and each other! Some of it is at the moment, but most of it reflects some kind of profit motivation. My views on what is humanly possible does not reflect reality.
An article in the news today caught my attention.
Sudbury
New research finds a particular tree species can act as a wildfire barrier
“Large patches of aspen have been found to successfully slow down wildfires.”
My first thought upon learning this was to credit the Aspen roots, they are unique. I feel Aspen roots are the root of the phenomenon.
There is no link to the actual research in the CBC article, just the description by the journalist. The journalist mentions only the high moisture content in the Aspen as the theoretical reason why the Aspen trees slow down wildfires. The original article focuses on this as well.
I am more intrigued by the relationship that the root system of the organism has with the conditions of a wild fire, which is an understanding beyond using an observed phenomenon for a specific outcome. Does the Aspen organism move moisture to regulate its response to wild fires, to protect its core? To me it is important to know why the Aspen is so effective.
“When looking at a forest, one may see several aspens grouped closely together. Those hundreds of trees are actually one organism.”
Source: https://lifesciences.byu.edu/shared-roots-and-survival-in-the-quaking-aspen
Many questions came to mind after reading the CBC article.
Could it be that the Aspens have been regulating natural forest fires on planet earth long before humans got involved in extensive forestry?
Do Aspen organisms have a survival strategy that is triggered by wild fires?
Would Aspen organisms strategically located help to control forest fires, slowing them down, facilitating the efforts of fire fighters?
Would ceasing to kill Aspen organisms with glyphosate and other herbicides decrease the toxicity of wild fire smoke?
Research into Aspens in relation to wild fires seems like a worthy investment for humans, since we seem so obsessed with dominating the planet. It could be so much richer if the Aspen organism’s response to wild fire was well understood. But then I live a life rich in considering the possible, free of the desire to accumulate more than I need, free of the profit focus. This is not the way “money thinks”. I am not a “money thinker”. But occasionally things that are good for our planet are also good for “money thinkers”, and this research just might be an example of that. The article below is the original research publication, it addresses issues “money thinkers” think are important, it is linear in its approach, and it explores some of the questions that came to mind for me.
Date: 15 June 2026
Research article
Open access
Under a Creative Commons license
“Populus tremuloides as a natural fire barrier in Canada’s”
Flavie Pelletier a, Jeffrey A. Cardille a, Joanne C. White baMcGill University, Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec H9X 3V9, CanadabCanadian Forest Service (Pacific Forestry Centre), Natural Resources Canada, 506 West Burnside Road, Victoria, British Columbia V8Z 1M5, Canad
Received 2 December 2025, Revised 26 February 2026, Accepted 2 March 2026, Available online 6 March 2026, Version of Record 6 March 2026.
Worldly
Weather
21°C
Date: 8:00 PM EDT Thursday 23 July 2026
Condition: Mainly Sunny
Pressure: 102.1 kPa
Tendency: Rising
Temperature: 20.6°C
Dew point: 8.9°C
Humidity: 47%
Wind: SW 19 gusts 28 km/h
Visibility: 24 km
Quote
“Chance is always powerful. Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish.”
Ovid
43 BC – 17 AD